Oliver - Briarwood
 

The reason I cannot put the trap out myself is that I live and work out of state (in Texas).

I had loaned my beloved Oliver, on a long term basis, to my equally loved Dad, a Village resident as they had bonded when I moved last year from Jacksonville to Dallas. I have no problems putting traps, food, treats out....but sigh....now live several states away so it is difficult for me to respond on a timely basis. Which is why this bulletin board has been so good for me. A friend of mine, also a Village resident, is helping me get Oliver back. I've purchased traps, food, tuna fish, treats, newspaper ads, a weekly note on the radio station, and for the spaying of one cat, which turned out to be very feral.

I have been back at least once per month since Ollie went missing. I spent all weekend (8 am-10 pm) of those days looking.

Marcia

Well then, please PM me, and I'll set and monitor the trap for you.

Marcia, my heart aches for you. Being physically absent makes the situation even more difficult for you. It is very obvious how much you love Oliver. I wish I could help but we're leaving shortly for Canada for six months.

But if prayers and love and good wishes can help, I'm sending them all to you and to Oliver.

Olliver and distance (mine...sigh...)
 

Having Oliver go missing has caused my heart to rip in two. He is the perfect cat -- good in the house, good in the car, affectionate and obedient. If I could afford to live in The Villages and somehow commute to my work, I would. Sigh....

As it is right now I know the pain of having lost something that has been the light of my life in the last few years. In many ways Oliver is like my child and I'd just like him back.

Thanks for eveyone's support.

Marcia

Marcia, you have many friends on TOTV. Don't worry about Oliver being hungry. It's a great time of the year for cats to find food outside, lots of tasty tidbits around. Please don't give up hope. I carry a picture of Oliver in my golfcart and show it to people I meet, at the dog park, etc. Many people are looking for Oliver. K-9 is a wonderful person and loves animals. I know she'll help you as much as she can. Good luck!

What if we had a picnic in the area where Oliver was last seen? Everyone could bring their own lunch with a tuna sandwich. I'd even bring some extra cans of tuna. Just sit around and visit for an hour.

What else, besides tuna, draws Oliver?

Picnic for Oliver
 

Starflyte,

Love the idea! How clever!!

I have sat out several evenings in the area, typically beginning at 6 pm until after 9 pm holding an open can of tunafish, a jar of treats and calling his name. Shaking the treat jar used to be very effective for rounding him up.

You may call me the cat whisperer as each time I ended up attracting ... other cats, but not Oliver. As soon as I said hello, each one would take off like greased lightening, which is typically a sure sign that said cat is not domesticated. Oliver would most likely be shy in his approach but hunger would drive him forward.

Oliver went missing from the far western end of Glenbrook. I have searched high and low in that neighborhood and all 6 houses in each direction several times. 70% of cats apparently never go beyond 6 houses away; apparently my beloved Oliver is in the other 30%. I have also searched several times the golf course, maintenance yard, posted flyers, run newspaper ads, run an announcemnt on the radio station, posted flyers at the postal stations, issued an amber alert using a commercial service, notified every shelter and vet clinic within a 20 mile radius.

There are about 625 other shelters in Florida, but time to run off and mail all those flyers has been an issue as I'm also working full time. I did reach out to the shelters in Marion County, including Ocala.

Thus, having the ability to write on this e-bulletin board has been a godsend. My sweet Oliver is out there....somewhere. I am hoping/praying that someone will feed him and get him into a contained space so I can come pick him up. I can also be reached via a private message here.

Thanks all,

Marcia

Hi Marcia,

I'm not in TV now, but sending love down your way. I know how your heart aches. As Bare said, please don't give up hope. Ollie is in a great environment for finding food; and may of us are praying for Ollie's return home.

Love and hugs,
Pturner

Oliver - where are you?
 

I'll next be back on May 1-2.

Oliver - where are you, II
 

Here's his picture, again.

Ollie's picture
 

Apparently not too adept at attachments.

Here's Ollie's picture from page 3. http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...aod/Ollie2.jpg

Pooh, Thank you for reposting Ollie's picture. He's a handsome cat.

Mjb, I hope you find him!

Sighting
 

If anyone knows anyone who lives on or near Churchill Greens GC, please advise.

I received two reports that he had been seen there. The area apparently has some "wildlife" issues so I am hesitant to set a trap near those issues. I am working with others to get traps baited and set up nearby.

I'll be there this coming weekend, May 1-2.

Still positive...

Oh darn, bad timing. Our house in TV backs on Churchill Greens golf course. But sadly, I'm in Canada now. Marcia ... my husband, Fireboy, helped me search for Ollie the day we went out. He will be returning to The Villages in May for a couple of weeks. If you haven't found Ollie by then, I'm sure he'd be happy to help out.

I am SO excited and hopeful that this may be the real Ollie! Fingers crossed.

Oliver - Churchill Greens
 

If anyone knows anyone around Churchill Greens, especially a someone who may be feeding stray cats, please let me know.

Barefoot, thanks so much for your offer to help. Enjoy Canada -- must be lovely at this time of year.

Does anyone know if Ollie was ever found?

The ad is back in Lost and Found.

....

Marcia is offering $1,000 reward for the return of Oliver.

Oh, how I wish I were there in TV to help with the search. I feel so sorry for Marcia, my heart breaks for her.

I wonder if the reward could be published to the teenagers at the Charter Schools. I bet they'd all be motivated to go out and search for Oliver.

I hope Marcia continues to call the radio station to describe Oliver, and to let people know he is still missing.

I was in Petsmart next to Joann's a few days ago. They have an orange cat there that looks like Oliver.


.

Even though we are "K9" Lovers, we also love cats. I've set a humane trap in several locations where people reported seeing a cat like Ollie, have gone door-to-door delivering photos of Ollie, placed fliers at some of the postal stations, and . . . nothing. Mr. K9 even walked a golf course twice where Ollie was sighted ... no Ollie.

The teenager idea is good.

Another idea is to list the amount of the reward in the newspaper ad rather than just saying "reward". $1,000 is very generous and maybe more people would be motivated to look for Ollie if they knew the amount.

Ollie, Ollie, oxen free. Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Oliver - Revised ad
 

Yes, all, that is correct. I am now offering a large reward/contribution to the charity of your choice, $1,000, for the safe return of Oliver. Hopefully that will induce someone to safely capture him and hand him over.

I have revised the ad to reflect the dollar amount more clearly. That will change in a few days.

I am considering the idea of school children looking for Oliver. My hesitation is some kids tend to be mean to small animals, and duh, I don't want Oliver harmed. However, the idea of several hundred kids all on the outlook for Oliver is winning me over. It could be a school project, to raise money for the school.

Mrs. K9, I appreciate all your help. This has been time-consuming and frustrating as there seem to be many dark orange tabbies running around the Villages. I called the Marion County Animal Shelter again today. They have also had a large number of orange cats: 176 of them to be exact. And, I too have trapped a few cats and had them neutered, vacinnated and re-released.

Everyone else here, I also appreciate your help as well. If nothing else, I intend to have a nice party/reception for Oliver when he returns. That means inviting everyone here to a nice party at a date to be determined.

Marcia

Oliver - Still Missing
 

I heard through the grapevine that Oliver made an insert to The Villages Sun this past Saturday. That was something I'd been working on for a while so I'm glad his photo was displayed.

A newly reworded ad has been placed, and I'm calling the radio station.

I'm hoping Mr. Oliver will decide he has had enough of his travels and come home.

Marcia

Did anyone check out the cat that chuckinca saw in Petsmart? If not, I will check on it.

Marcia, this video is for you. I haven't heard from Sandy for a while with any leads, but Oliver could still come home. This has to be in Alabama; I recognize the accent. Watch:

http://www.dogwork.com/tor8/

We went back and it was adopted - talked to the mgr and he said all their cats come from Marion Cty Animal Services and that the orange cat they had was declawed - not Ollie.


.

Chuckinca, Thank you. Pat

Every time I see an update to this thread I get so excited, thinking Ollie has finally been found. Oh, how I wish that little guy would come home.

Me too Bare.

Chuck, that was so nice of you to check.

Thank you, chuck
 

.

I am grateful you took the time to check with the pet store. I did as well and called the Marion Shelter. I then went through all 176 orange tabby cats that had come to them since Feb. 8. Most were kittens; there was one near miss as that cat had orange eyes whereas Ollie's are light green. Ollie has his claws, which sigh, I guess he needs these days.

Thanks,

Marcia

Mrs. K-9 Lovers,

Thanks for the video. It is a wonderful thought, and hopefully I'll be able to duplicate in The Villages soon.

Marcia

Welcome. It gave me something to do while my wife was making her daily visit to Joanns.


.

Any update on finding Oliver? With so many looking, he has to be someplace around there. I do so hope he is found and returned to his obviously loving home. I still miss our Tigger two cats every day, so I have an idea of what your going through.

Oliver update
 

Everyone,

I was in the Villages last week and have received good reports that Ollie is/was wandering around the Pimlico GC recently. An ambassador saw him twice and one of the residents thought she saw him. Regardless, I sat out several nights for 2+ hours calling for him...and no Ollie. I also put out more flyers to nearby residents.

Oliver seems to favor houses that have cats in them already so if you know anyone on the southwest side of 466 who also owns a cat or two, please let them know that my precious little bundle of fur in a dark orange tabby pattern may be out and about. And if so, please try to get him contained in a container so someone can come by and pick him up. While I am now back in Texas for a few weeks I do have a couple of folks there who can come by and pick up Oliver, who will be safely boarded at his vet until I can come back and pick him up. I still have that nice reward or charitable contribution to induce someone to act.

By the way, the orange and white cat at Walmart on 466 who hangs out near the Garden Center and the shopping cart area is not Oliver. Among other things that cat has more white on him that Ollie does, has longer fur, and his gender is ah, "intact" whereas Ollie has been ah er neutered.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers. Ollie is out there somewhere!

Marcia

Marcia,

Keep the faith that you will be reunited with Oliver soon. St. Francis of Assisi must be watching over him.

Every time this thread pops up, I think perhaps Ollie has returned home and I get so excited. It sounds as if the Pimlico lead could be a good one. I wish I could go to Pimlico and talk to people at mail stations. It's a really good way to get the word out and talk to pet people, who are more than sympathetic. Unfortunately I'm in Canada right now.

Marcia, keep the faith! Sending thoughts and prayers.

Oscar still missing but cat seen near spanish spring
 

I went up to visit daughter but last Wednesday a large orange cat seen near Spanish Spring. We went up to look but could not find cat. Hope you find your cat. We do look for lost cat every day. hobe65

Oliver redux
 

All,

I am still positive that I will be reunited with Oliver. Enough people in The Villages care, including many who don't have cats. I think someone or several someones may be feeding Ollie as the cat seen on Pimlico was described as "well fed" and not obviously thin as one might expect.

Ollie has his claws in tact but I don't think he was ever much of a hunter. I can say that as Ollie came crawling out of a storm drain 3 years ago near CR 101 and I did the reverse process of what I am doing now. I.e., scoured the Villages Sun for 6 weeks back, went to every public bulletin board, asked the gatekeepers, called every shelter within a 25 mile radius, all the humane services, animal control, etc. The neighbors on the street had seen the cat soon to be renamed Oliver for about 10 days before I got there and had seen him trying to "hunt", without much success. No one "claimed" Ollie, so I brought him home, updated (or did, for the first time) his various shots against feline diseases, etc and smothered him with love. He was on long term loan to his pet grandparents to cheer someone up when he went missing. It was an accident that he got out and having not lived in The Villages for 3 years, doesn't know which house is his.

Oliver is a smart cat. I trained him to walk on a leash, which wasn't productive in the dog sense but gave Oliver a chance to feel the wind in his fur and explore the great outdoors safely. Cats do not walk in straight lines while leashed so it is sort of a zig zag exercise.

Right now, I've reached out on this electronic bb, distributed about 500 flyers, rdistributed color photographs, ran numerous ads in the newspaper and on the radio station, alerted the manned gate houses, and personnel at various golf courses, purchased several havaheart traps, captured two feral cats (both spayed, vacinated and re-released as per protocols), set traps, policed said traps, caught an opposum (released) and answered many, many calls about possible sightings. Oliver did make the Villages Sun back in May in an article in which another cat went missing and has since been reunited. I am thanking the journalist who wrote the article. And I just keep trying.

Marcia